London: Hogg, c.1785. The purpose of Cook's Third Voyage was to discover the North West Passage. Having discovered Hawaii in January 1778 he sailed up the eastern coast of America and passed through the Bering Straits, where he was blocked by the Arctic icewall. He returned to Hawaii in 1779, where he was killed, after which his crew went north for a second attempt to breech the icewall, again failing before returning to England. In Alaska he mapped Cooks Inlet and Prince William Sound, both of which appear on this map. At the head of the inlet is 'R. Turn-again', named by William Bligh of HMS Bounty fame. Cook had sent Bligh, his sailing master, up the river, hoping it was an entrance to the North West Passage. Blight named it in frustration when he realised it was another dead-end,HOGG0007

Amsterdam, c.1785. Nine coastal profiles of Alaska, including Price William's South and Mt St Elias. Although he is not credited here, some were drawn by William Bligh, later captain of the Bounty, famous for the mutiny. Published in a Dutch edition of Cook's Voyages.COOK0004

Brussels, 1827. Two sheets charting the Aleutian Islands, the chain of islands crossing the north Pacific, from Semisopotohnoi to Tanaga, marking the routes of the explorers who mapped them in the 1790s. The maps were published in the first atlas of the world on the same scale, some of the more remote areas of the world such as this are shown in unprecedented detail.VAND0011

Paris, c.1772. The west coast of North America, from California to the Bering Straits. The inset map is based on a world map by Plancius issued in 1641, while the larger map is based on Visscher's map of 1612. Filled with the cartographic myths of the 17th century although a recognizable Baja California. The northwest coast bulges too far to the west. Both maps feature the seven cities of Cibola gathered around a spurious lake in the American Southwest.DIDE0001

Paris, 1757. Shows the Albermarle Sound to Savannah. It derives much of its detail from Emmanuel Bowne's landmark map of the area, published in 1752, so gives the location of the English settlements that had sprung up along the coast.BELL0015

Paris, 1825. Map of the District of Columbia, with a plan of the layout of Washington. Published in the 'Atlas Géographique des Deux Amériques', the map is surrounded by descriptive text in French.BUCH0001

Utrecht, 1682. Map of Florida and Louisiana, based on Sanson's map of 1657, the first atlas map to name Lake Erie. 'Florida Gallica' is a French attempt to reassert claims to the Carolinas despite their last attempt at colonisation there failing a century before.LUYT0003

Germany, c.1790. A view of Waimea, Atooi (Kauai) in Hawaii drawn during Captain Cook's visit 19-23 January 1778. His men can be seen trading with the natives. Cook reported that they took on board nine tons of water and 'sixty or eighty pigs'. From a German edition of Cook's voyages.WEBB0002